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Bronze Member Username: DrjPost Number: 34 Registered: Nov-06 | Greetings, It's been brought to my attention that tube amp technology has returned, once again; that tubes are no longer crazy money and that these amps are more reasonable and popular choices. I've looked at a number of them on the net and the power ratings are all so very low, yet, I recall how loud these amps used to play. My question is: why is there such a great divide in power measurement, between tube and solid state, when the listening experience does not bear this out? thanks, John |
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Gold Member Username: Timn8terSeattle, WA USA Post Number: 1149 Registered: Dec-03 | Not all of them. http://www.atma-sphere.com/products/ma1.html |
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Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 9505 Registered: May-04 | . I don't know what amps you've looked at but today's amps run from a low powered, single ended amp that produces 2.5 watts to a large, paralleled output tube, push pull design that manages 150-200 watts. Certainly the solid state designers and particularly mass market receiver manufacturers have told people they need "more watts". It generally isn't true and a 25 watt amp can play quite loud with the right speakers. Making tube amps work properly is largely pairing the amp with the correct speakers. You might want to read the thread "Tube Talk" for more information on various amplfiers. . |
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Gold Member Username: Joe_cAtlanta, GA Post Number: 1136 Registered: Mar-05 | I like this one: http://www.jolida.com/catalogue/models/Envoy.shtml It tickles my fancy. I have a Jolida 502B that is rated at 60wpc and it blows away any mass market 100+ wpc recievers I have heard. Plus I never heard so much headroom with this amp compared to SS amps. Maybe I just need to hear a Naim or something but for the money I would prefer tubes. Of course I am Bias.......ha ha get it Bias!!! |
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Bronze Member Username: DrjPost Number: 35 Registered: Nov-06 | Joseph, an impressive amp, for sure. Looking at the specs, I recall that tube amps tend to be noisier and also less stable; but, of course, also warmer. Jan, I read a bit, but the thread goes off on a lot of tangents. I should really research the mechanics of the two, of tube and SS. Is there a good place to start? I have an old pair of Dahlquists, which I've decided to rebuild and I already purchased a used SS amp for it, the A5: http://statement.anthemav.com/HTML/Technology/A_Series/A_Series_Tech.html However, given the era from which the speakers emerged, they were intended for tube amps, or are said to work best with them. I've owned these speakers since 1980 and this will be the third SS amp to drive them. Can anyone tell me why these speakers would have a preference for tubes, instead of SS? What is the main advantage? Also, I see rankings of Class-A, Class-AB, yet the Anthem I purchased states no ranking. What defines these rankings? A lot of questions; sorry ... Any and all information appreciated. thanks, John |
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Gold Member Username: Timn8terSeattle, WA USA Post Number: 1154 Registered: Dec-03 | This might help. http://www.nutshellhifi.com/library/FindingCG.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_amplifier#Amplifier_classes |
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Bronze Member Username: DrjPost Number: 37 Registered: Nov-06 | Thanks Tim, I'm about to dive in! John |
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Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 9507 Registered: May-04 | . Yes, you have lots of questions and that means you'll have to settle for the Reader's Digest answers to each. You can find most of what you need to get started by merely placing items such as "vacuum tube amplifier" or "Class A amplifier" in a search engine and wading through until you find understandable and useful articles. If you own DQ10's I would tell you not to bother with a tube amplfier. The DQ10 is a rather power hungry speaker that thrived on Ampzillas and McIntosh MC2300's. Some people liked tubes on the Dahlquist to tame the high frequency response but today's solid state amplifiers allow you find a decent transistor design with the power you need and the sound that suits the speakers. You should be looking for a fairly high current/amperage soild state amp for the DQ10's. Modern tube amps and even vintage gear fitted with modern components can be almost as quiet as the best of solid state. Most tube amps still run warmer than a transistor amp, depending on the Class of operation. Class A, AB or B is determined by the efficiency of the amplifier at turning AC voltage from the outlet into usable wattage at the speaker terminals. This class of operation relates only to push pull amplifier as all single ended amps are by their nature running in class A. In class A the output device is turned on all the time for both the + and - swings of the voltage. For lower classes of operation the output device is turned off to conserve energy and make the amp more efficient. Turning the device on and off during each 360 ° of the voltage swing produces small amounts of switching noise. The less time the device stays off, the lower the noise. Letting the output device stay on produces lots of wasted energy in the form of heat. You will more than likely want to buy a Class AB amplifier. Finally in the broadest tetms all amplifiers operate alike. Whether the output device is soild state or vacuum tube, the amplifier is essentially a modulated power supply. By the amp with the best PS you can afford. . |
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Bronze Member Username: DrjPost Number: 38 Registered: Nov-06 | Jan, your response is very informative; thank you! I already have an amp; I got it for a very good price, when it was only a few months old (the A5) and, given my budget, it's going to have to do: http://statement.anthemav.com/HTML/Technology/A_Series/A_Series_Tech.html I'm now at the point of figuring out how to ship the DQ10's to Regnar, in Long Island; a bit of a logistics problem, but should have it solved in the next few weeks. Once sent, two to three more months and they should be in my living room, as good as new (I hope). Again, thanks for the response and information. I'm going to do some researching and reading. John P.s. I'm asking all the questions simply because I'd like to know the details of the magic of this technology. |
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Gold Member Username: Jan_b_vigneDallas, TX Post Number: 9510 Registered: May-04 | . http://www.depalma.pair.com/Analog/analog.html http://www.du.edu/~etuttle/electron/elect27.htm http://www.vacuumtubes.net/How_Vacuum_Tubes_Work.htm http://www.ken-gilbert.com/techstuff/vtf.html http://hometheater.about.com/od/vacuumtubeaudio/Vacuum_Tube_Audio_Products_and_T echnology.htm http://www.worldtubeaudio.com/ http://sound.westhost.com/site-map.htm . |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 4952 Registered: Dec-04 | John, where are you at? |
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Gold Member Username: NuckPost Number: 4953 Registered: Dec-04 | Classe amps and particularly pre-amps have a rep for sounding like tubes to some people, or are sometimes described as such. Mine does(a little). And a used ca 101 or a ca200 is priced well(enough). I know you have the A5, but this reply was still in my head, and it's free! What else came free today? |
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Bronze Member Username: DrjPost Number: 41 Registered: Nov-06 | Nuck, off hand, I can't think of too many other freebies, today! Thanks for the input. And, I sent you an e-mail. John |